Campaign US – Snooze, You Loose? The Changing Dynamics of the Agency Work Place

In the work environment, I’ve not seen a topic that is more polarizing and of our time than the issue of whether it’s acceptable to take a nap in the office.

When I recently talked to one my strategists about a snooze I caught him having on the couch in the middle of the office, he simply and unapologetically responded, “That little nap made me so much more efficient for the rest of the day.”

That’s definitely not the response I would have given my boss 15 years ago.

Campaign – All Work and All Play, How Millennials are Redefining Leisure

“Millennials never really turn on or off,” said Ian Chee, chief strategy officer at MRY. He explained that brands need to rethink the times they attempt to reach them with their messaging, especially that the post-work “golden hour”, which brands like Miller have tried to own with the “It’s Miller Time” campaign.

If we were to apply this term to our day jobs, we are objectively in a Revolution in Marketing Affairs: a paradigm that has perhaps only happened four or five times in our history. The printing press created mass distribution. Radio created a delivery mechanism that shortened the distribution time line. Television added a new story telling layer that was unrivaled. All of these revolutions in marketing affairs changed the way we connected with people and the way we marketed to them. Like the invention of gunpowder, they shifted the world from one focused on hand-to-hand combat (handing out flyers) to a dynamic that could be managed from a distance (broadcast television).

Etymology, as defined on Google, is “the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.” Now, I fully recognize that in this instance I am not using the term correctly, but similar to the way we can learn from the root of a word, perhaps there is something to be learned from the root function that perpetuates a change in behavior online. How do certain memes, habits, and behaviors come to be? What is their root cause?

MBPT Spotlight – A Case for More Ugly Ducklings in a World Chasing Unicorns

This is not a case for unicorns, but a case for more ugly ducklings. An ugly duckling is an imperfect idea launched in beta. Unlike a unicorn, it can be fast to launch, and in greater numbers. It just needs nurturing and time to grow. Once launched, you can observe which ugly ducklings require more or less investment, with the ability to make real-time adjustments. In this context, your propensity to raise an ugly duckling into a swan is much greater.

Ian Chee, chief strategy officer at digital marketing agency MRY, said that context is more important today than ever. And in the case of the Super Bowl when consumers are watching the game with family and friends “it’s a lighthearted affair where people gather, joke and drink. In this context, ideas that will bring a smile to your face or a swath of nostalgia work. It opens up the conversation in theroom and this often translates to the conversations online as well,”

Marketers need to plan against a human need instead of planning against a fleeting platform. They must build their strategies on human behavior and plan for what’s possible instead of just reacting to what’s in front of them.

ClickZ – What the History of Counterfeiting Can Teach Us About the Future of Digital Marketing

“What can a perfect Louis Vuitton knock-off from Shenzhen teach us about the future of digital marketing? At first glance: nothing. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll realize that counterfeiting follows patterns, as does digital innovation. As creators, it is our job to note these trends and plan not just for today, but also far into the future.”

“Marketers for the most part are still trained to think TV-first,” said Ian Chee, chief strategy officer at MRY, New York.

“Despite the fact that trends towards mobile is clear, it’s also relatively recent compared to televisions history,” he said.

“It’s human nature to gravitate towards what we know. That’s television, a blunt tool that can still guarantee in one fell swoop a certain amount of reach for clients. There is a certain level of comfort in that for marketers whose main concern is awareness and not engagement.”

“The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once famously said: “The only thing that is constant is change.” The mere recognition of this fact is tantamount to how we apply insights to our everyday jobs. One key indicator of change that I have seen in recent years is the ever-shifting way in which we engage between humans and computer interfaces. The adoption of a new mode of interaction often leads to a difference in the way we design, build, and literally react to our consumer and our brands.”

“The definition of insanity (widely attributed to Einstein) is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. There are so many passive things we do in our daily lives, but these simple routines are not always good. There is a widening chasm between what we all have become accustomed to, the normalcy and routine, and what we should be doing; rarely the same thing.”

“If the mission of Internet.org is to offer access to the Internet for all, it’s important to note where this access is coming from, Ian Chee, chief strategy officer at MRY, a digital brand consulting agency, told NBC News.

“Social networks will increasingly not be desktop-first experiences and Facebook knows that,” Chee said. “Research is showing that mobile is where people are accessing content social or otherwise now more than ever; and even more so in developing countries. In a transient world, Whatsapp is simply another doorway for Facebook to tap into this burgeoning user behavior.”

“The number 11 now represents when your Instagram image has hit a certain level of credibility. Admittedly, I am not that cool on Instagram, since some of my images don’t hit this threshold, but for many users this simple milestone is important. In a study MRY conducted on Millennials’ technology behavior, one young woman noted passionately the need to reach this number. “If I don’t hit 11 likes, I take down the post after a day — it’s just too embarrassing to leave up there. Nobody likes it.”

“That was one of my favorite insights from yesterday’s Mobile Insider Summit wrap-up — focusing a day of programming on aspects of mobile video, Instagram and Vine. Ian Chee, chief strategy officer at MRY, said that as creatives moved away from the 15-second and 30-second ads that still dominate the desktop to mobile, the formats will shift and advertisers will develop new ways to tell stories in snapshots. He went on to emphasize how mobile video is different even across platforms on devices. The “culture” of Vine is different from that of Instagram or the app. “You have to adapt to the culture of the medium and not look at it as one thing. You will be ridiculed because Vine Viewers won’t see these [videos] in the same way Instagram users will see it.”

Says Chee: “I’ve been fortunate to work at great shops that span the gambit of products, platforms, branding and storytelling. I’m excited to join MRY; a company built with a unique mix of technology and social heritage that provides the opportunity to bring best in class consumer centric ideas to the forefront that are not just creative but thoughtful, impactful and useful.”